Mozambican authorities have warned of forecasts for a new strong climate event associated with El Niño, with the potential to affect several social, economic and environmental sectors in the country.
In a statement, Mozambique’s National Meteorology Institute (INAM) said current projections from global climate models indicate a high probability of an El Niño event occurring in the coming months, with a strong likelihood of continuing until the beginning of the second half of the 2026/2027 rainy season.
According to the document, seen by Lusa on Saturday, the impacts of El Niño in Mozambique generally include, for the southern and central regions, a high risk of irregular rainfall with a tendency to remain below normal and temperatures above the climatological average, while in the north there is a high risk of regular rainfall tending to remain above normal.
According to the National Meteorology Institute, the occurrence of this climate phenomenon, characterised by the abnormal warming of Pacific Ocean waters that alters rainfall and temperature patterns in various regions of the world, coincides with the start of Mozambique’s 2026/2027 rainy season and has the potential to affect several social, economic and environmental sectors.
“INAM will continue to monitor and update these projections and forecasts, given that timely monitoring is crucial to ensure strategic sectoral planning and decision-making,” the statement concluded.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by global climate change, cyclically facing floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs annually between October and April.